This workshop focuses on the passions, obsessions, strengths and weaknesses of the main characters of commedia dell’arte: Pantalone, Arlecchino, Dottore, Tartaglia, Brighella, Capitano, Isabella and Lelio. Using the beautifully crafted masks of puppeteer/mask maker, Trish Leeper and the sculpted leather masks of Amleto and Donato Sartori, participants will animate the characters through their walk, their stance, their posture, their gestures and their vocal quality. Each mask or character will be introduced and demonstrated. As a group, they will “play” the character, then pair up with a classmate tasked with creating a scene which, after a short period of rehearsal will be presented to the class with feedback provided. By workshop’s end, participants will acquire a facility and an awareness of the masks and characters of the commedia along with a deeper understanding of the its place in theatre history.
The students are introduced to different types of masks which make up David Langlois’ collection: carnival masks, character masks, ethnic and commedia via a brief lecture/demonstration. Once completed, the students are invited to select a mask. Once this is done, they sit and study the mask’s shape and contours, acquiring a feel for the character’s attitude: social vs. anti-social, engaging vs. non-engaging, passive vs. aggressive. When finished, they put on the mask and become comfortable wearing the mask through relaxation of the breath, glancing around the room in the same manner that the mask would. A series of steps follow wherein the mask is brought to life by running in place, imagining that they’re chasing someone or being chased. With their newfound physical energy, they are invited to walk about, creating the mask’s walk, stance, posture, rhythm of movement, signature gestures. When through, the masks are removed and a brief talkback session follows.
